I Remember You
by lolimaginethat
Summary: One of the reasons why Daryl kept to himself was because he lost his fiance in the apocalypse. Daryl doesn't know that the love of his life is actually still alive and struggling to find her way back months later. What will happen if she does? Daryl/OC ON HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

_**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD, OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS, EXCEPT FOR LORENA, ETC ETC, THEN THE FAT LADY SANG, AND THEN WE ALL KISSED.**_  
_**I doubt that was a good disclaimer, but I think you guys get what I'm saying.**_

**This takes place after Sophia got lost. Let's just pretend everyone was already settled at Hershel's farm before Sophia got away.**

**By the way, I'm still trying to overcome my fear of televised zombies so my description of them, if any, probably sucks.**

**I wanted to focus more on the human aspect of the story because my life kinda sucks but I like seeing people happy. This is a world where everyone pretty much loves each other.**

**Oh, and my only writing coach was English class, so I'm not a professional writer like many of you. I'm going with the flow. Be gentle. I've never done this before. Please love me!**

**Rated M for future lemons, but I've never done anything erotica before so it might be watered down lemonade. We'll see.**

**And review so I can know whether or not to post the other chapters.**

**Chapter 1**

Daryl parked himself on his usual secluded log away from the rest of the group and began with his daily afternoon ritual. He would take out a small notepad/pen set and write unaddressed letters anonymously. He was never much of a writer, but since he's lost quite a lot over the years, he figured it would be the only way to express his repressed emotion and reach out to someone – someone who was no longer there. While on his search for Merle a few weeks ago, he found the set in the warehouse and slipped it in his pocket, making sure the guys didn't take note of it. The group knew nothing about his ritual; they just assumed he went hunting twice a day instead of the actual one. Come to think of it, the group knew nothing about Daryl. Sure, he was a protector, a warrior, and at times he did show signs of compassion towards Carol, who had grown to be the family figure he missed out on his entire life – but asking for anything more than that was a stretch. Surprisingly, a part of him wanted to at least tell Carol about his past, but decided against it considering the recent loss of Sophia weighed on her enough. There was a huge chance they would never even find the little girl, and the group was starting to accept that. Carol didn't need to carry his pain too.

_Before the virus broke out, Daryl was finally starting to live a content life. He was finally starting to push the memories of his absent mother and drunk abusive father behind him, because after all, they were merely memories and he was given a second chance at a life. Very few people get the privilege to do so. He was living the closest thing to an American Dream as possible. Merle was steering away from drugs and started a construction job in downtown Atlanta that Daryl hooked him up with. Although given other lucrative opportunities and was even offered a promotion to Construction Manager, Daryl enjoyed being in the middle of the job so much that he kept his initial paycheck as a foreman. He had no desire to be bumped up the hierarchy chart. He wasn't a firm believer in any type of god, but he did feel very blessed – it is very seldom that people find what they're looking for and stick to it. He also met someone in the midst of his self-discovery process. Lorena Kaufman, a New York native who moved to Georgia just a few years prior to meeting her. She was the most brilliant woman he ever met, with a heart of gold and looks that could seriously do a number on a man's heart, among other respected areas. She had respectably long jet black hair with green eyes and an olive complexion. She was reasonably tan for someone who was mostly of German descent, but she had descendants from Sicily, which helped her out considerably in the skin tone department. _

_He met her while doing a reconstruction project on her house that was previously damaged from a passing tornado. She lived fairly close to the Dixon brothers but had to drive out to Roswell, a town relatively close to Atlanta about 40 minutes out for her job. She came home late every day due to extensive rush hour traffic and had no choice but to leave her spare key in the mailbox for Daryl and the crew. The reconstruction would take longer than Daryl expected and worked overtime to make sure it was done in a timely matter. After an extremely long Friday at work, Lorena came home to unwind, not expecting Daryl to still be there two hours after he was supposed to pack up for the day. She stepped back from her front door in order to bring herself into full view and called up to him, "Everything alright with the roof? You're here much later than expected!" Daryl quickly turned around and suddenly felt like he had done something wrong and needed to provide an explanation. He struggled to get his sentence out. "Nah, I mean - sent the crew back at normal time, but this is going to take way longer than I hoped, and…. I want it done fast. If a storm, you know, comes, I mean, your interior'll be destroyed." She flashed him a smile. "Don't be so defensive, I was saying that with concern, not suspicion. Give me a minute, I'm coming up there", she said enthusiastically. _

_Taking into account he must have been up on her roof in the sweltering heat for 12 hours straight, she brought him up a huge pitcher of water. She also brought her usual Friday night unwinding material – a bottle of Jack Daniels and a glass. Daryl eyed the whiskey and playfully said, "I reckon the water's for you." Lorena chuckled, "You can have yourself a nice glass of Jack after you hydrate yourself the right way. You've been up there for hours." _

_If Daryl would have known this night would be the night that changed his life forever, he would've mentally prepared himself a lot better. Then again, the best things in life are unexpected. The two of them sat on her roof for almost 5 hours, drinking and talking about absolutely everything they could think of. Their conversations flew naturally and there was no way Daryl was restricting this to roof meetings forever. After their third "roof date", he officially asked her on a real date and was relieved when she didn't even remotely hesitate to oblige. Their one date turned into a weekly ritual for them, and everything between them happened so naturally, from their first conversation to their first kiss. Lorena had an almost unbearable past with her previous boyfriends, and Daryl normally deleted a woman's number before he could even ask for her last name. What they shared together was something rare for the both of them. They shared everything. After a year of steady dating, the two of them could easily recite each other's life stories from start to finish. There were absolutely no restrictions in their relationship and there was nothing they couldn't share with each other. Both parties were very much aware of the rarity of that. More time passed and they were engaged. Unlike most engaged couples, Lorena and Daryl actually continued to live in their separate homes, not for traditional purposes, but Merle was still saving his well-earned pennies to get his own apartment and Daryl would have never skipped out on his brother like that. Lorena respected this, especially since her and Merle had an amazing relationship as well, and besides the fact, she lived within a 10 mile radius from them anyway. Unfortunately, it was her job in Roswell that kept her distanced. Little did she know her job in Roswell would bring the word __**distance**__ to a whole new level._

_The outbreak rapidly spread its way through Georgia, but was initially recognized as a deadly flu. Lorena was never one to be a hypochondriac or excessively worry about certain diseases, so she let this one run its course until everyone was done panicking. However, this did not run its course. On week two of the alleged "flu outbreak", Lorena got a first glimpse of what the rest of her life would look like. She was sitting at her work desk while she heard a startling scream, followed by the sounds of what seemed to be hissing and gurgling. Undoubtedly confused by this, she stood up to see what the commotion was, only to watch a co-worker and close friend of hers be ripped apart by another human being, only this human being looked nothing close to human anymore. Following that, the fire alarms were rung and the sprinklers were turned on in order to get everyone to exit the building as quickly as possible. Still shaken and confused, Lorena had no time to process what just happened as she ran out of her workplace and to her car._

_Daryl was enjoying his well-earned day off with his big brother while he heard his cellphone vibrate. He despised the damn thing, but Lorena insisted he get one due to her newfound obsession with texting. He flipped open the phone and saw a simple but frightening text from Lorena saying "This shit is serious babe. Been evacuated. Heading home now. Should be by you in two hours tops. I love you."_

_Daryl was unprepared for what came next – he never heard from the love of his life after that._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Daryl snapped out of memory mode, began to collect his thoughts and write.

**Lost track of time. Can't bother to count the days anymore cause it's just a reminder of how long I've had to live without you so far. Been looking for a group member, a little girl. Still no sign of Merle either but I know he's out there. I know he can find me if he tries. Doubt he's up to any good, wherever he is. He never dealt with losing you well either. Wish he was here. World's gone to shit. Don't know how much longer I can do this, Lena. Don't even know who I am anymore. You were my life. Never believed in ghosts but I feel like you can see this. Just give me a sign.**

Daryl felt tears begin to burn his eyes and before giving them a chance to fall, he quickly stood up, grabbed his crossbow and headed into the woods to distract himself. He already caught enough food to last the group for another day, but hunting was what kept his only sense of sanity intact. He felt a jolt of pain and held on to his side. He scoffed at the fact his recent injuries were preventing him from performing simple tasks such as standing, but it didn't stop him.

**Lorena's POV**

She awoke abruptly, due to yet another nightmare. She hoped she would quickly adjust to this new horrific change, just like she adjusted to every change in her life, but to no avail. Being alone for months wasn't really helping either. During the first month, she settled with a small group she stumbled upon while hunting, but the camp was quickly overrun and she was the only one who made it out.

Since then, she's been living like a nomad, quickly packing up her things once every few days and finding abandoned houses, trailers, small stores to rest her head. At times, she would even have to spend a night in a tree in the woods when she couldn't seek enclosed shelter. It still came as a shock to her that she was even alive after all this time traveling alone. She doesn't even know how she made it out alive on Day 1. As she gathered her bags and prepared herself to head out yet again, she thought back to that terrible day.

_After entering her Chevy Impala, she quickly glanced through her rearview only to discover a herd of frantic people, followed by another herd of whatever it was that literally ate her co-worker a few minutes prior. She sped off and attempted to enter the main highway only to be stopped by bumper to traffic, which would have been okay with her if not given the circumstances._

_Cops all around were peering into every car, checking every passenger for bites or signs of fever. She knew this disease was in fact serious, but she had no idea it was going to prevent her from quickly gathering necessities from her home, grabbing Daryl and Merle, and finding refuge from whatever this sickness was. Not wanting to waste even more time waiting in a line she'd be able to pass anyway nor risk being shot dead by frantic police officers, she exited her vehicle without a fight and ran towards Atlanta. She was stopped by a cop, who quickly checked her for bites, threw her a 9mm Glock, said "you'll need it," and sent her on her way. _

Lorena walked at a fast pace, disregarding the harsh heat Georgia brings. It must have been late summer, because the humidity was more unbearable than the actual heat itself. Even after months of traveling as quickly as possible, she was almost positive she didn't even reach Atlanta yet. She wasn't even sure if she headed in the right direction anymore. She knew everyone she ever loved was more than likely dead, but if she was going to die too, she was going to die in Atlanta, where her life was left behind.

**Daryl's POV**

After returning from yet another successful hunting trip in the woods, Daryl approached Hershel with a significant amount of squirrel. Collecting the squirrels from Daryl, he firmly but worryingly told him, "you know, we all appreciate the hard work you do around here, Daryl, but you still need to be resting a lot more than you are. Your injuries need extensive care and whether you choose to believe that or not, you need much more than a day to recover from that." Blatantly disregarding Hershel's statement, Daryl simply huffed and said "Gotta go look for Sophia in a bit. Y'all gonna eat or what?" And walked up the steps and headed into the farmhouse. Hershel simply sighed as a way of surrendering to the stubborn, but helpful man, and followed Daryl inside.

He didn't join the rest of the group for dinner. Instead, he got himself ready to do a final check for Sophia for the day. He came downstairs, grabbed a handful of squirrel jerky and headed for the door when Carol stopped him. The look of doubt on her face was enough for Daryl to understand. "Daryl, you need to rest. We're not going to find her.." Astonished, he slowly began to turn around to fire a remark when Lori chimed in, "Won't do us any good if you injure yourself some more. But we can't give up like this, Carol - someone needs to find her, and fast. Who else is going to do it?" Already fired up from Carol's words, he walked up to Lori until he was nose to nose with her. "Won't do YOU any good? This comin' from a woman who can't even keep track of the one kid she already got AND got one on the way! I suppose you got yourself knocked up just in case you lose Carl for the umpteenth time today, yeah? Do us all a favor and keep your eyes on your own kid. Lord knows I'd have to go search for him too!" He turned his heel and stormed out of the farmhouse, crossbow slung off his shoulder.

**Lorena's POV**

Lorena had been walking for a few hours now, and she knew she should have stopped to find some shelter by now. However, the determination in her was pumping through her veins, and although she was growing weary, she refused to stop. She had wasted enough time stopping. As she begun to slow down her pace, she heard nearby rustling. She was quickly relieved because she could easily identify a walker's movements, and the sounds she heard were far from walker. In fact, the steps were so loud that she didn't even identify them as human at all, alive or undead. She head in the direction of the footsteps and hoped she suspected correctly.

Lorena didn't have to walk for long; directly in front of her was a beautiful horse, all decked out with a brown leather saddle. A gleaming smile formed on her lips, her first smile in months. She loved animals in all aspects, and besides that, she knew this specific animal was linked to someone, given the saddle alone that proved ownership. She silently prayed that she would find other survivors. She also figured this horse hasn't been alone for very long at all. If it was, it more than likely would've been walker bait by now. Lorena eased her way towards the horse and gently assured her that she came in peace. After the horse seemed to recognize the friendly tone, Lorena hopped on, gave her a little kick, and let the horse lead the way.

They weren't even galloping for five minutes when the horse stopped. Alerted by this, Lorena reached into one of her bags and pulled out one of her knives. She listened closely for any signs of walker movement. None.

However, as they came to a complete stop, she was able to hear what made the horse come to a stop - she heard the soft cries of a little girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I didn't expect to have my story favored ONCE let alone the amount of times it actually was, and it made me very happy. Thank you!**

**So since a few of you are waiting – I'll post the next chapter because it's already done and I'm gonna be busier than usual now.**

**I'm trying my best to not rush the story since I tend to go all over the place and speed things up when writers block occurs, so I hope my pace is alright for a short one.**

**I'll try to hold out on chapters 4 and 5 (also completed), however. I'll do my best to be patient myself and try spacing them out a bit so I can have more time to work on the chapter I'm struggling to spit out right now.**

**Make sure to keep reviewing because they make me smile and stuff. Unless of course you tell me I'm a walking potato or something. Then I frown.**

**Again, thanks for the positive feedback and I hope I didn't begin to slack in this one. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3**

Not wanting to alert any possible lingering walkers that dinner was in close proximity, Lorena silently called out to the little girl, "Tell me where you are!" After a long pause, she heard the little girl let out a shaky "psssst... up here! Nelly!" The horse immediately recognized what was evidently her name and walked towards the direction of the little girl's voice. Lorena looked up and spotted her in a nearby tree. Without having to direct Nelly herself, she was brought to the tree the little girl was currently staged in and asked, "Do you need me to help you down? It's safe, but who knows for how long. I can help you down if you want, and then we can formally introduce ourselves. Sound good?" The girl no longer had a hesitant look on her face and without verbally responding to Lorena's question, she slowly and cautiously lowered herself from the tree and quickly approached Nelly and Lorena. "I'm Sophia. Are you with Hershel's farm too? I was staying there until a few of those walkers saw me in the woods.. I don't have a gun, so I've been running ever since. This is one of his horses. She's really sweet." She said as she stroked the mane sweetly. Lorena, confused but still alert and keeping her knife readily accessible for any stray walkers, offered Sophia her hand. "I'm Lorena. I found Nelly while walking down the road not too far from here. I let her lead the way and luckily she led me to you. Are you hurt at all?"

Sophia took her hand and Lorena helped hoist her up in front of her on Nelly. "I don't think so," Sophia answered, "I'm way too fast. Didn't let any of those things get to me. Only fell once." Lorena smiled to herself as she gave Nelly a swift kick and let her proceed with wherever she would be leading them.

**Daryl's POV**

Daryl carefully walked along the trail, occasionally kneeling down and keeping a good lookout for any sign of Sophia's tracks. He was having no luck in his search, and despite finding her doll, it didn't give him a lead. His frustration grew rapidly and slammed his fist into a nearby tree. Stunned by the pain he inflicted on his knuckles, he slumped down against the tree, buried his head in his hands, and closed his eyes. Trying to calm his aggression, he brought himself back to a less painful memory.

"_Seriously, what the fuck are you doing, baby? I told you I hate surprises, and unless we're in bed, I don't enjoy being blindfolded!" Lorena annoyingly said as Daryl held her hand and led her for what felt like hours, but was really just a few minutes. Her feet were getting tired and her calves were starting to burn. "Woman, you complain too much. We're almost there. Just hold on to me. Have I ever steered you in the wrong direction?" Daryl assured her. _

_Finally, Lorena mentally confirmed that they reached whatever destination they were supposed to reach. Daryl stood behind her and slowly took off her blindfold. She was completely astonished when she discovered she was at the very top of one of Georgia's beautiful mountains and had the perfect view of Atlanta, not to mention the full moon that was completely formed. She turned around to Daryl and gave him a quick shove in the chest. "You're lucky I liked this idea! How the hell did you manage to get me all the way up here anyway?" Daryl simply responded, "Secret trail," and took her hand in his. _

_He continued, "Look, I suck at a lot of things. Women bein' one of them. Never knew how to even make 'em smile. If I'm honest, I didn't even know how I could come up with somethin' like this. Then I realized – you make it that easy for me to do." Lorena's eyes quickly began to fill up with tears as Daryl continued, "I ain't gonna be any more cliché than I already am so I'll just say it. You're here, on a mountain, out of all places 'cause this is as high as you make me feel every day. And I wanna be this high, every day after this." Completely in tears now, she watched as Daryl slowly pulled out a box and opened it. _

_The ring was perfect – it wasn't a typical princess cut diamond ring. It was accented with two small rubies on the side and she instantly smiled at how unique and non-cliché this man was trying to be. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Daryl continued his proposal, "I wanna marry you, Lena. Plain and simple." He tried to keep his sense of humor by adding, "Plus, I don't know any other women with your ring size." Lorena let out a laugh, but was still speechless. She was waiting to snap out of this dream because this moment was too good to be true. It was too surreal. She quickly realized this was her reality. She held out her ring finger all the while gazing into Daryl's beautiful blues, and while choking back a sob, said, "Then what the hell are you waiting for?"_

Daryl was so stuck in his memories that he didn't even realize he was subconsciously writing in his notepad to her again.

**Still can't find her. I can't find shit anymore. Hell, I can't even find myself. Thinking about the night I proposed to you. I swear if you were alive I would propose to you all over again as many times as you wanted me to. These people are wasting their time trying to make a decent man out of me. I ain't. Not since I lost you. **

Daryl slammed the pen down, finally let himself give in to his never ending grief, and began to silently sob to himself. There was no way he was going anywhere near that farm until his eyes were dry as a bone and his pain was buried deep within.

**Lorena's POV**

Due to a few walker encounters, they had to make a few stops in their travels. It was nothing Lorena couldn't handle; she's twice the survivalist she normally is when she has others to protect, and after what Sophia had been through, there was no way she was letting anything happen to her newfound friend, nor was she about to surrender Nelly just to get away. Only 30 minutes of their travels had passed and Lorena was already attached to the horse and Sophia. After bringing her knife down in roughly 4 or 5 lifeless, bloodthirsty brains, they finally had a clear path ahead of them, a path that led to what seemed to be a farm up ahead. Sophia squealed and pointed ahead, "We made it, Lorena! This is it! Where Nelly lives and I live!" Lorena smiled, breathing a sigh of relief at Sophia's familiarity with the location.

Hershel was in the midst of tending to his garden while he heard a familiar sound coming from nearby. He looked up and instantly recognized two very familiar faces "Nelly? Oh my word… Sophia! Carol, your little girl is back!" He exclaimed to Carol, who was on the opposing side of the farmhouse wringing out a few newly washed undershirts that belonged to Rick, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog. Carol quickly turned around, and sure enough, there was her little girl, safe and sound, being carefully lowered off of Nelly. Sophia instantly spotted her mom and ran towards her open arms.

Hershel helped Lorena off Nelly as well and the two introduced themselves. Happily sobbing, Carol yelled over to the guys, "Sophia's back! And we have someone to thank! Get Daryl and bring him back here now!" Lorena began to smile at Carol's gratefulness towards her, but her heart instantly sank and she gasped at the name she heard Carol speak. Hershel took note of this and asked politely, "Something wrong?" Lorena quickly snapped out of it. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't heard the name Daryl in months and I was taken back for a minute. I was engaged to a man named Daryl. I lost him."

Hershel sympathetically put a hand on her back. "Come on; let's get you acquainted with the rest of the group." He led her into the farmhouse and Lorena was overwhelmed but delighted at the amount of survivors there were under one roof. Being a natural born hugger, she introduced herself and hugged every single one of them. The group could easily tell this was her first encounter with living and breathing beings in a while.

**Daryl's POV**

He was crying for longer than expected; he felt the humidity diminish slightly and realized the sun was just about to set. After violently wiping his face with his hand, he got up and bucked up. Lorena would never want him to be in this much pain and she would've wanted him to live his life as long as he possibly could. Besides, he wasn't about to give up on Sophia. He lost Lorena and Merle and there was nothing he could do about that anymore – but he couldn't bear to witness another loss, especially that innocent little girl.

He was about to head out on his search for another hour when he heard the soft sounds of a familiar voice call after him, "Hey, Daryl! Come on! You can come back now!"

He quickly turned around and saw Sophia with Carol standing right beside her. He was at a loss for words; he couldn't even smile or call back to her. For the first time in a long time, he felt relieved. He didn't find her himself, but they didn't lose her for good. That's all that matters. She was alive and unharmed. Due to the amount of crying he did a few minutes prior, his guard was completely down and he let Sophia jump into his arms.

Daryl fought back tears, because there was no way he was going to let Carol see his vulnerability that was struggling so hard to reach the surface. Sophia shook him at the shoulders with her little arms and exclaimed, "My mom just told me you were out here, in the woods, looking for me. Every day! And you got hurt! What were you thinking? You know I'm tough!" Daryl laughed and hugged her again. "Sorry, guess I underestimated ya. You're a big girl, Sophia. Your momma best be proud." Daryl stood up, grabbed Sophia's hand, and headed towards Carol.

Once the three of them began heading back to the farm, Carol informed him of their new guest. "We've got a newcomer. She was the one who saved Sophia. They rode in with Nelly. Can't believe she survived after you fell off her, but she did." Daryl chuckled. "That dumb old horse actually helped save someone? Wish I could've had the same luck with her." Carol laughed and continued, "It was like a movie, Daryl. It's so rare to keep a survivor for more than a day in this world, and we have three of them today. And the new girl, she's beautiful and tender hearted; I can tell. But she's alone. She's been alone for the majority of this time. I didn't get to hear her story completely but she was overrun and never made it back home."

Daryl stayed quiet and his expression dropped as he thought about Lorena. She never made it back home either.


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys make ME impatient! I've been trying to hold off for as long as I can but I figured since it's there, I'll post it. I can also do a little work on Chapter 6 & 7 since that is the part where I start to improvise. I don't know how much longer I'll continue it and I was going to end it at the reunion but there was at least ONE more reunion I wanted. ;) ;) ;) **

**Anyway, this chapter is short (I think). The key is to read it on your cellphones so it seems longer. That's what I do with other fanfics LOL. Besides, the screen resolution is a lot less harsh on the eyes to me. **

**Now that I've given a health lesson instead of an introduction to the next chapter, Enjoy!**

**Oh, P.S. BebeFlow: I mentioned in the beginning of Chapter 1: "This takes place after Sophia got lost. Let's just pretend everyone was already settled at Hershel's farm before Sophia got away." **

**I was aware that the group made it to the farm after Carl was shot and Sophia was lost before that –I was already finished with the chapter when I realized I went a completely different route (hence I didn't even get Carl shot for this, which was very nice of me considering the kid pissed me off all season). **

**I just made them all settled at the farm prior to this so it would make the story easier for me to flow with.**

**Chapter 4**

**Lorena's POV**

Everyone welcomed Lorena with open arms. She wasn't sure if it was because they all knew how alone she's been, or because they were just genuine people. Either way, she finally felt secure. She told them a lot about her; she even opened up about losing her fiancé and her never ending journey to make it back to Atlanta to say goodbye to their former homes.

The entire group remained quiet as she mentioned the love of her life, Daryl Dixon, and one of her best friends, his brother, Merle. No one said a word as she described the man Daryl was, while adding "I actually found my prince charming." She told them the story of his proposal, and noticed a shift in the crowd, as if they were surprised to hear that those kind of proposals existed in the old world.

They continued to stay quiet while Dale and Andrea put comforting hands on her back, as Lorena bowed her head and began to silently cry to herself.

Not wanting her to have a terrible first night at the farm, Rick quickly changed the topic while Shane rose from his seat and headed for the cupboard. Rick looked up at Shane and said, "Tonight's a special occasion enough, don't ya think? Why don't we crack open the Jack?" Shane chuckled. "Way ahead of ya. The hell you think I'm headin' to the cupboard for?" Lori rolled her eyes and let out a little snicker. "Could you two be more in tune with each other's thoughts?" Both Shane and Rick joined in laughter and Rick answered, "I guess it's just a 'bromance' thing, honey." He said, playfully cupping her chin. Shane handed out small glasses to the adults in the room, and began to pour the whiskey. Carl scrunched his nose when he caught a whiff of it. "That stuff smells worse than that wine tasted back at that other place!" He complained as the adults chuckled.

Immediately after having her glass filled, Lorena took her first sip of whiskey in months, and smiled as she instantly thought back to pleasant memories of her nights with Daryl and Jack Daniels. She tried to keep her sadness at bay and enjoy the blessing of her new companions surrounding her.

**Daryl's POV**

The walk back to the farm took longer than usual. Sophia had to keep taking quick breaks due to a sudden recurring pain in her right ankle. Her adrenaline finally wore off and she was able to feel the physical effects of her traumatic experience. There was no breakage, but Carol would definitely have Hershel check it out later. The poor girl must have done a fair amount of running and probably twisted it along the line.

Daryl scooped her up and she clung to his neck while humming a tune. Despite the little girl's pain, she never failed to keep her sense of contentment, and Daryl truly admired that about children. He felt himself smile; something he didn't even know he was capable of doing anymore. Carol noticed this and flashed him a smile herself. "Don't be usin' that crap against me, lady." Daryl said, trying to keep his tough exterior alive.

Carol snapped, "Watch your mouth!" Sophia laughed and playfully said, "Lighten up mom, it's just 'crap'." Shocked at the fact her daughter was maturing pretty fast in this apocalyptic world, she smiled at Sophia and responded, "You're lucky I'm just grateful to have you back, because you'd be punished otherwise, young lady."

The three of them finally reached the steps of the farmhouse. Reluctant to let her down on her feet, he double checked with Sophia's state. "You okay to get down?" Showing her strength yet again, she flashed him a smile and let herself down. She kept most of her balance on her good ankle and hopped inside, smiling and mentally preparing herself for the plethora of hugs and tear-filled kisses from the group. The reunion began and Daryl and Carol happily looked on as she was reunited with Carl and the rest of the people she called family.

Daryl's spirits were suddenly lifted at the sight of this and felt obliged to thank the woman responsible for bringing Sophia back. "A'right, so where's the hero of the day?" Daryl quickly glanced over to where the new girl was standing.

She had her back turned and had one comforting hand on Sophia's back and a glass of whiskey in the other. His eyes automatically fixated at the hand that held the whiskey and felt more waves of memories flash back of him and his fiancé sharing whiskey together on Fridays.

Lorena shouted, "That would be me!" As she turned around, she continued, "and you must be.."

The group slowly stopped kept their talking to a minimum to witness yet another reunion; a reunion they've been waiting to see since Lorena told her story. They all kept permanent grins on their faces. Daryl was about to finish her sentence and introduce himself as Lorena completely turned around to face the man she never in a million years thought she would be facing.

Daryl froze in his tracks. This life has been so unfair to the both of them in the past few months that there was no possible way the woman he was looking at was really Lorena. All the years of abuse from his father and struggle had finally caught up to him.

He was convinced he was beginning to hallucinate visions of her. It was bad enough he spoke to her spirit through a goddamn notepad, now he has to deal with hallucinating her entire existence? He mentally slapped himself.

Lorena noticed the confusion expressed on Daryl's face and opened her mouth, struggling to get a word out. She tried to say anything to assure him that it's her, that this is really happening, but she wasn't even certain if she was seeing straight herself.

They both stood there, frozen, anticipating the other to say something, do something, anything that would confirm that this moment was real. Then Daryl realized. He knew he was stronger than that; he knew he would never hallucinate anything that was never there. The Merle hallucinations were different, Daryl thought to himself. He was completely incoherent and severely wounded when he saw Merle. He was completely aware, mentally and physically now. His mind was powerful.

With that, he accepted that the woman he thought died on the way home was standing right in front of him, and he began to uncontrollably let every emotion surface. He kept a straight face, but tears began to rapidly form in his eyes as his fiancé lunged at him. They both gently fell to their knees and both of their sobs were synchronized at this point. Daryl kept his more inconspicuous, of course.

Lorena and Daryl were still latched on to each other. "Lena…" was all Daryl could say as he kept his tight grip on her, one hand behind her head, gripping her hair possessively and the other completely wrapped around her waist. The group watched on and at this point, there was not a dry eye in the room; even the guys let the guards down for a moment. Rick thought back to the way he felt when he reunited with Lori and grabbed a hold of his wife's hand as they watched on.

The group was completely astonished at the amount of love and vulnerability Daryl Dixon kept hidden for so long, and although they all respected him before this moment, they all mentally reminded themselves to appreciate the man more and stop doubting his sense of humanity.

Lorena and Daryl continued to hold on to each other as their heart rates began to go back to semi-normal, and Daryl softly whispered to her, "You ain't leaving my sight ever again, you hear me, girl? Never lettin' you go. Ever." Lorena looked up at him and took his face in her hands, the face she may have never been able to see again.

Daryl returned the gesture and rested a hand on her cheek as they united for a kiss that brought them right back to their happy place; a place that existed before the madness. Lorena broke the kiss, looked down at the ring on her finger that still managed to glisten, and stood up. She turned to Hershel, "You mentioned you were a registered minister before all of this, right?"


	5. Chapter 5

**I did a little editing to Chapter 4 – I KNOW, I did that pretty late, but I developed a complex for this entire story and if it was on paper, I probably would've thrown it out the window or something. I get frustrated easily, clearly!**

**At this point, I doubt there will be any POV's from Lorena or Daryl. I didn't even really have to do POV's to begin with, but it seemed to make more sense even though I didn't talk in first person. We'll see.**

**My attempt at lemons begins now. I know it was spoiler-ish, but I'm just warning the youngsters that there is sex approaching.**

**Note to my fellow lemon loving colleagues: I TRIED to be as detailed as possible but since this is my first attempt at a sex scene, it may or may not be terrible. Forgive me.**

**Updating will be a lot more spaced out at this point. A part of me wishes I wouldn't have posted Chapters 1 & 2 at the same time but I felt it was necessary in order for y'all to decide whether or not you were enjoying it.**

**Review and I hope I didn't completely fail at the no pants dance!**

**Chapter 5**

The reunited couple gathered back with the group and enjoyed a night full of drinking and laughter. Everyone was so closely connected to one another that it seemed as if there were no dangers awaiting them in the new world. It was like all that existed was this group.

After the conversations began to die down, Lorena squeezed Daryl's hand and addressed the group. "So, about Merle, then.."

Daryl was the first to speak about it, which surprised everyone, considering Daryl refused to talk about it at all since it happened. "When the three of us got separated, Merle went completely back to his dark ways. Understandable considerin' we were enterin' an apocalypse and all, but he was darker than usual. Losin' you did a number on both of us. You were the first woman Merle actually respected. You already knew that though. So once you were gone, he went back to hatin' them. Went back to drugs."

Lorena's eyes widened at this fact. Daryl continued, "Yeah I know. You'd think drugs would be scarce in the new world. Not for Merle. He got lucky with 'em. Anyway, we found this group and we both didn't treat anyone very well, but Merle took it to a whole new level. One thing led to 'nother and he ended up being chained to a pipe on a roof for the shit he put everyone through. When I went to find him, he was gone but his hand was there. Musta cut off his own hand to escape. He's out there, either alive or one of them. Though I doubt he'd cut off his own hand only to end up losin' the fight to a dumbass flesh eatin' monster anyway. On top of that, he found our van and took off with it. He's gotta be lookin' for us. Don't know if he's still carryin' a grudge though. Knowin' Merle, he's packin' heat right now."

Lorena's heart sank and stroked Daryl's hand as she thought about the positive change she once saw in Merle. She hated the idea that her death could actually bring someone back to such a dark place. "I feel like I should blame myself for this. If I would've taken that disease seriously, if I would've just taken the days off from work and stayed with you guys—"

Daryl cut her off. "Don't you dare go blamin' yourself. You're the hardest workin' woman I know and you'd never miss a day of work for what was supposed to be some goddamn flu. This ain't your fault. I'm here now, Lena. Ain't I?" He said in that firm voice of his, that same voice that always put her in her place but never made her feel low in the slightest. Although reassured, she was still upset about Merle's situation and needed time to let it sink in, so Daryl placed a hand on her neck and gave her a nod that basically said "We don't have to talk about this anymore."

Sophia and Carl began to doze off on each other and no one even realized how late it must have been. Even in a post-apocalyptic world, Lori and Carol always wanted to make sure their children still got a decent night's sleep. They excused themselves, as did the rest of the group as they slowly got themselves ready to hit the hay.

A few hugs were exchanged and plenty of smiles were thrown across the room as everyone headed to their designated sleep areas. Not knowing where she would be sleeping, she shot a questionable look at Daryl, who shot a look back. However, the lustful look on his face said it all. He pulled her close and whispered, "It ain't bedtime for us yet."

Daryl wanted to talk to her, he wanted to tell her everything he hasn't been able to tell her since they've been apart, but this world was even crueler and relentless than it was before, and they weren't even promised another night together. The long talk would have to wait.

He took her puzzled face in his hands and stared into her eyes. His look was aggressive, yet full of emotion for the woman standing before him. She took it all in as he passionately pressed his lips to hers. She immediately let him in and relaxed her entire body, which was something she wasn't able to do once since the world went to shit. Their mouths continuously fought with each other, as if there was a race they were both desperately trying to win.

She felt his built up aggression, every bit of pain he's felt since losing her - emptying itself into this one kiss.

Every emotion he's felt since then was pouring out to her. It was an unspoken action and an indescribable feeling, and before Lorena could even try to decipher it, Daryl quickly took her in his arms and carefully led her upstairs towards the guest bathroom, never taking his eyes off of her.

He opened the door and immediately placed her on the marble countertop. After all of this time being apart, she expected him to ravish her right then and there, but surprisingly, he paused. "What's wrong?" Lorena asked, concern building up. There was another long pause but Daryl's eyes never left hers. He then realized he didn't want to rush this reunion at all anymore.

Right now, they were safe, behind closed doors. Even if walkers were to suddenly overrun the area, he would rather have died with extreme build up in his genital region than die without telling the woman of his dreams that she was the best thing that has ever happened to him. He never flat out told her that.

He told her so many things; he pretty much told her everything. What he failed to tell her was that she was the final piece to his life. Lorena's concern began to grow even more until Daryl finally spoke. "I never got to tell ya."

He lowered his head as if he was beginning to doubt himself as a person, and even though it's been a while, Lorena read that man like a book. "Don't you even start regretting shit right in front of me. That's the thing; I'm right in front of you. You didn't lose me. You've made me the happiest woman in the world, Daryl. There is nothing you haven't done for me. What could you possibly feel guilty about?" She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for a legitimate answer. He paused but answered at a faster pace than before. "I never told ya that you saved my life. That you were the best fuckin' thing that ever walked into my life and - When I lost you, I swear... I lost everything. I ain't complete without you, girl. I really ain't. And now that I got you back, I feel like I coulda done better. I coulda saved you."

He started to hang his head down yet again, only Lorena's hand was already cupped under his chin, ready to lift it right back up.

She had tears in her eyes again. Daryl took her face in his hands and lowered his head to her cheeks, slowly kissing her tears away.

"You already saved me..." was all she could choke out and she aggressively pressed her lips against his, as if trying to tell him that his insecurities were all wrong and there really was nothing he hasn't done for her already. He responded immediately with equal aggression, grabbing the back of her neck and gently tugging on her hair. She shoved him away and clumsily pulled his dirty shirt over his head, never taking her gaze away from him.

Daryl thought back to their old sex life. He normally had to entice sex, not because she didn't want to, but because she was an overall submissive woman in bed. Apparently the end of the world really does change people completely, because this woman was taking control of him, all of him, and she was certainly in a hurry to do so. They quickly broke their gaze as Lorena reached for his belt buckle.

She spotted his bandage and her lustful expression diminished slightly. She gently dragged her hand across it as she asked him, "What happened to you?" Daryl placed his hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile. "Was out lookin' for Sophia. Nelly got startled and I fell right off her. Stabbed myself with an arrow. Accidentally of course. Almost got my foot chewed off by a walker. Hm, what else? Oh, and Andrea, the blonde one - Yeah, she shot at me 'cause I looked like a walker from a distance. Bullet grazed my head."

He took her hand and guided it to where the wound was. Frustrated, Lorena scolded, "Then where the hell is that bandage? This is nowhere near healed." Daryl rolled his eyes. "I took that damn thing off. I looked like an asshole. Annoyed the shit outta me." Lorena giggled and gently grazed the good side of his head with her fingertips. "Such a stubborn man, Dixon.." She paused, flashed a mischievous smile, that same smile that used to always initiate hours of bliss, and continued. "Now where was I?" She said seductively, tugging on his belt again.

An action that took about ten seconds felt like an entire hour to Daryl. His testosterone levels were higher than the average teenage boy. Not to mention, he felt like his emotions were in battle with each other, trying to figure out which ones to even release at this time. He wasn't used to this, and his brain was racing, but he knew one thing for sure - he needed to take this woman, all of her. He needed to show her that he missed every single aspect of her since he lost her.

His belt finally disconnected from the loopholes and Lorena carelessly tossed it aside. Still propped up on the countertop, she pulled Daryl in closer using the heels of her feet and he instantly complied, pressing his body against hers.

She slowly began to close in, but stopped once their lips were a small centimeter apart. It was as if she was trying to build up the anticipation even though the months of longing for her were enough for Daryl to lose his mind completely. Yet they both remained frozen, gazing at each other, both panting heavily.

He couldn't withstand the yearning he felt any longer and he finally broke the lustful stare himself, grabbing the back of her neck in an even more aggressive way than he had earlier and firmly pressed his lips against hers. Lorena breathed out a gentle moan into his mouth and he responded with a small growl. He quickly flicked his tongue across her bottom lip, and she immediately parted her lips and let him in. Their tongues wildly danced and their hands inquisitively explored each other's bodies, as if discovering them for the first time. After a good ten minutes, Daryl finally broke the kiss. He trailed kisses down her neck until he reached the sensitive area that rests between the neck and collarbone. Lorena smiled at this action – it was always her favorite spot to be kissed.

Daryl continued to explore the visible areas of her body with his mouth and occasionally nibbled gently at her skin. He partially lifted Lorena's tank top as he kissed a trail down her lower stomach. He removed his hands from her upper body and began to undo the button on her jeans. He didn't need to bother with her zipper due to her unintended post-apocalyptic weight loss, and he slowly slipped her out of her jeans.

She sat patiently, now half exposed, as Daryl headed for the shower and turned the handle, adjusting the water temperature to until it was lukewarm. Hot water was a luxury, and Daryl wasn't one to abuse that privilege, especially now.

As he turned to face Lorena, she playfully asked, "You don't want me when I'm all dirty?" Daryl slowly walked over to her and traced his hand across her pubic bone before looking at her with lustful eyes. "Nah, I just want you as wet as possible."

With that, he quickly lifted her shirt over her head and Lorena reached for her bra clasp when he stopped her. "Nuh uh, I can take it from here." Giving into dominance yet again, Lorena let out an exaggerated sigh and let him proceed with her bra. She forgot how much she enjoyed this man being in control of her body. He never failed at pleasing her and he sure as hell wasn't going to fail at it now.

He managed to quickly remove her bra and tossed it the same way she tossed his belt earlier. Her breasts were now exposed and he wasted no time caressing them with his calloused hands, slowly lowering his head to her right breast. He swiftly flicked his tongue at her nipple and she gasped at the sensation – she hasn't had any human contact, let alone with her fiancé in months, and every sensation felt more incredible than ever. He paid very close attention to both breasts, taking turns between both of them, taking advantage of them with his mouth in every way possible.

Lorena's moaning grew more intensely and Daryl fed off of this like a leech. Her pleasure alone could send him over the edge. Still admiring her body with his tongue, he slid a hand down her panties and immediately squirmed at the wetness that was awaiting him to indulge in.

He was officially in Dixon mode full gear and he roughly tugged and pulled at her panties until they were completely at her ankles. She eagerly stepped out of them as she clumsily undid his pants, trying to get him out of them as quickly as possible. She lowered his cargos and surprisingly, he had no boxers on. His length was quickly exposed and she started to reach for it when Daryl stopped her again. "Wait your turn," was all he said as he grabbed a firm hold of her from underneath and scooped her up.

Hershel's guest bathroom had a spacious tub/shower combo, which certainly worked in Daryl's favor as he lowered her to the edge of the tub and slowly descended to his knees. He kissed and nibbled on her inner thighs as he gently rubbed her clit, teasing her. Finally, to her advantage, he couldn't take it anymore and closed in on her wet folds. Lorena let out a seductive moan as Daryl instantly began to work his magic – he licked, sucked, and nibbled at her throbbing center. The combination of her juices and the surprisingly fresh water from the shower was intoxicating and he began to ferociously force his tongue into her as far as he possibly could.

Lorena's desire continued to grow rapidly and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out before forcing him inside of her herself. Daryl seemed to feel the same way, because he looked up at her and stood up, grabbing her neck firmly so she could stand as well. It was a good thing he had a hold of her, because she felt as if she would've fallen to her knees had he not held her up.

Daryl wasted no time and he scooped her up once again, both hands cupped under her ass. He gently placed her against the cold tile wall and the warm water began to saturate them completely. Their tongues explored each other for a brief moment until Daryl slightly pulled back and adjusted himself until he reached her entrance.

With the amount of time they've spent apart, Lorena braced herself and prepared for a bit of a rough start. However, Daryl had better plans – he wanted to cherish this moment together instead of throwing himself at her effortlessly like a ravenous walker. Slowly, he reached a hand and cupped her face with one hand, still keeping her steady with the other. He placed a gentle kiss on her temple and whispered an "I love you" before slowly easing his way into her.

After a few slow thrusts, Lorena could already feel herself losing control and she picked up the pace. Daryl quickly followed suit and synced with her movements, roughly biting down on her shoulder as he met her pace. Lorena could already feel her thighs start to burn, so she grabbed a hold of Daryl's hair and completely wrapped her arms around his neck for extra support as she slightly lifted herself higher and allowed Daryl to fill her completely.

The combined harmony of her panting and his grunting contributed to their increased pleasure, and he swore to himself that this woman felt better and better with every thrust. He felt Lorena begin to tighten around him and slowed down his pace as she climaxed, all the while shuddering and digging her nails into his back. He followed suit immediately thereafter and released inside of her.

He remained inside of her as he breathed heavily into her neck, stroking her cheek. Lorena placed a kiss on his head and released herself from his grip, quickly grabbing soap and scrubbing herself down. They had wasted enough water and she wasn't about to turn the actual showering process into another real life soft core porno.

Daryl snickered at her sudden hurry to get the water shut off and he prematurely snatched the soap from her hand and began to quickly scrub himself as well. "Asshole," she chuckled as she rinsed off whatever soap residue she had left. "You don't mean that," Daryl replied as he playfully smacked her ass.

Lorena exited the shower first and quickly grabbed them both towels, placing one on the toilet seat for Daryl. "Hey, do you need your bandages changed?" She asked as she held up a nearby bottle of peroxide. He shut off the water and peered through the shower curtain. "Lady, I just gave you the best sex of your life and you already wanna play doctor?"

She laughed at how quickly he adjusted to her return and how easy it is for them to pick up where they left off. "I'm serious, Daryl!" she replied sternly, trying to sound frustrated but the grin on her face contradicted the fact. He finally stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel quickly, feeling a chill. "Hershel said somethin' about suffocatin' the wound and keepin' the pressure on it. He doesn't think it should be changed a lot unless it gets dirty. Thanks for the concern and bein' cute as always, though," he said as he wrapped the towel around his waist. He flashed his fiancé a smile and gave her a quick wink before coming up behind her and resting his chin on her shoulder. Admiring himself with his woman in the mirror, he added, "Not even a zombie apocalypse could fuck with you. You're still the most beautiful thing I've ever laid my eyes on."


	6. Chapter 6

**I might have to leave everyone hanging a TAD bit longer so I decided to just go out with the next complete chapter since I don't want anyone quickly forgetting about me just yet. Again, please review because it keeps me going. Your words motivate me more to use up my free time with this story.**

**Chapter 6**

The majority of the group awoke early, despite the late night drink bender many of them got themselves into. Then again, this new world wasn't the type of world someone should oversleep in.

Lorena awoke before Daryl. She was a bit confused, initially, and then realized the combination of whiskey and an emotional reunion followed by emotional reunion sex could do that to someone.

She quickly got her mind to focus. Lorena and Daryl ended up crashing in the nearest guest room. Majority of the group liked to sleep in fours, so there was more room for accommodation than she expected.

She decided she would creep out of bed and try to bring him up some breakfast in bed before he woke up. She slowly sat up, and went to stand up until his eyes instantly opened and he put his hand on her back. "The hell you in such a rush for?" he said groggily.

Lorena sighed. "I wanted to bring you breakfast before you woke up."

Daryl slowly sat up and chuckled. "Y'know I never once wanted you to play that housewife role with me. Why start now?"

"I know, but I'm just so grateful to have you back with me and I don't wanna take it for granted. Just because the world is over doesn't mean I shouldn't keep you satisfied," Lorena answered, straddling his lap.

Daryl took her face in his hands. "I'm satisfied as long as yer alive and with me. Ain't shit else that can compete with that."

The two quickly got themselves ready by actually throwing on clothes, for starters. They both had awoken completely naked and that wasn't a good idea in dire situations like the one they now had to face together every day. But now that they were together, they both knew they could take down anything together. They were an unstoppable force then, and they refused to slow that down now - the time when they desperately needed it most.

"Got big plans for us today. Consider it a field trip," Daryl said as he slipped on his cargos. Lorena slipped on her tank top and scooted over to where he sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped both arms around his chest, propped up on her knees. "The world is dead and you still want to take me out?" She said, placing a kiss on his neck. Daryl turned around to face her. "Just 'cause the world's over don't mean chivalry gotta follow its lead," he responded. "Now c'mon. Time to eat."

The majority of the group was already settled at the table when Daryl and Lorena came downstairs. T-Dog was the last to be in the kitchen. He picked up the two extra plates that were set aside and handed them to the pair. "Tomato omelettes. Courtesy of yours truly," T-Dog proudly said as he pointed to the pan on the stove.

Daryl snickered. "Look at you, takin' over for the ladies. All domesticated and such," he said as he grabbed Lorena's plate and began to generously fill hers first.

"You're not leaving much for yourself," she said with concern. "Hush, woman. Eat up. You're gonna need the energy," he answered as he handed back her plate and began to give himself a spoonful.

They headed for the table and Daryl quickly pulled out a chair for Lorena. "Well I'll be damned…" Dale began, noticing the act of chivalry on Daryl's behalf.

Daryl quickly flashed him a look. "Stop observin' me, Santa," he responded and Dale chuckled, picking up his fork to continue eating. Daryl actually managed to playfully insult somebody without bitterly and intentionally jumping down the person's throat. The positive effect Lorena had on Daryl was astonishing and Dale embraced this woman's presence already. He figured the rest of the group felt the same way.

"Hey Daryl," Sophia called from across the table. Daryl looked in her direction and she continued, "Since Carl learned to shoot a gun, I thought maybe you could teach me, too?"

Daryl smiled and gave a reassuring look towards Carol, who seemed concerned. "I'm sure none of us are too keen on the idea of bringin' you out that far with us, but I'll tell ya what – you and I, we'll go find ourselves a nice tree when I get back, and I'll teach ya how to shoot a crossbow. Sound good?" He said, trying to be as reasonable, but firm as possible.

Sophia quickly nodded her head in agreement. "Deal."

Everyone began to gather the silverware together so Lori and Carol could get started on their dish washing ritual. Rick and Shane decided to take advantage of the fact it wasn't as humid as it normally was, and they took Carl down to the creek for some bonding time. Rick was starting to realize the new world made him begin to lose his concept of family and he wanted to make his son as happy as he possibly could - given the circumstance. Lori gave Carl the usual never ending "don't roam off and don't leave their sight" speech and sent them on their way.

Andrea and Dale took watch on the RV while Hershel spent quality time with his animals. This gave Maggie and Glenn some alone time, which they were both very thrilled about.

Back at the tents, Lorena observantly watched Daryl pack a number of items (mostly weapons) for their so-called field trip. "If I knew any better, I'd say you were leading me to the mother lode of walkers today. Why so many weapons?" She asked suspiciously.

Daryl zipped up the knapsack and turned to face her. "I prefer bein' more equipped when yer with me. Besides that, I'm takin' you further out than I'd normally go, and I haven't been in that direction yet. Not sure what to expect." He responded nonchalantly.

"Then why are we going?" She asked, growing more apprehensive by the minute.

Daryl huffed and gave in. "Y'know, askin' all these questions just ruined the surprise for ya. Since you ain't gonna give up 'till I tell you – there's a mountain with your name on it. I spotted it while on top of Dale's RV. Pretty sure I can find it easily."

Lorena smiled as she wrapped an arm around his waist and nestled her head in his neck. "You don't have to still try so hard to keep me around. You're pretty much forced to be stuck with me at this point anyway," she said.

"Can't be forced to surround yerself with somethin' you wanted from the beginnin'," he responded as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Now c'mon. I got everything we need." He grabbed her hand as they headed towards the woods.

They unfortunately encountered a few stray walkers about 30 minutes into their hike, but Daryl quickly took them out, naturally.

They were eventually so deep into the woods that it was very rare to encounter any walker after that. They also made another stop after Lorena informed Daryl she was intrigued by the idea of taking him in the woods.

As they quickly got dressed, there was a faint gunshot in the distance which startled the both of them. Daryl closely listened for any other sound before firmly grabbing Lorena's hand and proceeding. Lorena began to tremble. The way Daryl held her hand was confirmation that he was concerned and this made her worry.

They finally stopped at their destination, which happened to be in the same direction as the gunshot. The idea of potential threats nearby ruined the entire purpose of bringing her to this mountain, and Daryl's anger grew. Lorena took note of this and reassured him. "We can still enjoy this, Daryl. Once we figure out where this shit came from. Stop your pouting," Lorena said, rubbing his back.

She started to scope the area and gasped when she spotted a deer not too far away. Its ear was bloody. Daryl took a few steps closer to confirm the cause. "Bullet grazed it. Not a walker bite or anythin'. Musta been the shot then. That's too bad. Shot was terrible. Looks like the hunter coulda used a hand," He said, using visual block quotes as he used the word 'hunter'.

"C'mon then. Let's go up," he continued, leading her to the base of the small mountain.

They both froze in their tracks when they heard rustling not too far behind them, followed by a raspy but familiar voice calling out to them from plenty feet away, "As a matter of fact, I coulda definitely used a hand."


	7. Chapter 7

**Ding ding ding! angellic dragon: you were right on the hand pun – that's exactly what I was going for! Just couldn't resist that. It was lingering in my mind for a while and I'm glad I was finally able to write it in there.**

**Anyway, I feel like the story's a drag so I needed to add some excitement and even though I didn't write Merle as an antagonist, I started to annoy myself with my little Notebook storyline and needed some more involved.**

**I appreciate the reviews and occasional alerts/favorites (which is awesome - didn't expect much!) So thank you guys a bunch!**

**Keep reviewing please! Even though I don't get suggestions, the reviews alone help me stick to keeping this story alive.**

**Chapter 7**

Coming to the realization that his hallucination days ended at that day at the creek, Daryl kept a hold of Lorena's hand as he defensively turned around, waiting for the man to strike. Lorena turned around as well to confirm the identity of another man she never thought she'd reunite with.

She instantly spotted Merle in the distance, and without question, freed herself from Daryl's grip and ran towards him. Daryl kept alert as he observed the situation intently. He knew his brother was a ticking time bomb since this madness started and he wasn't going to put it past him, especially after what happened in Atlanta.

Surprisingly to Daryl, Merle instantly accepted Lorena's heartfelt embrace as she wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing yet again. "Shoulda known you were gonna make it out alive, lil' one," Merle said proudly, slipping an arm around her waist while trying to mentally deny the fact he was automatically beginning to feel whole again.

Still defensive, uneasy, and completely overwhelmed to begin with, Daryl slowly started to approach them.

Watching Daryl as him and Lorena broke the embrace, Merle exclaimed, "The fuck is wrong with you, man? Ain't seen your big brother in how long and you approach me like I'm some kinda stranger? Look at you, walkin' up to me like a scared puppy. I haven't even been gone a whole year. Your balls still on that roof with my hand or what?"

Ashamed, Daryl approached quicker and shifted his weight, fumbling with the bottom of his shirt. He knew Merle was who he was, but Daryl wanted to smack himself for mistrusting him. He never did once, despite their rough past. Why start now?

He faced Merle and looked him in the eye. "We didn't exactly leave things off where normal families would, bro. Can't blame me for being unsure. And as for that last statement, my balls are intact and I took yer hand with me. Found it the next day. Threw it at some Mexican lookin' kid as a threat."

"Well ain't you a sick fuck?" Merle joked.

He continued, "And Atlanta? You had shit to do with it. I could break 'Officer Friendly' in half for tryna discipline me with that police brutality shit, but I watched T-Dog drop that damn key down the drain. That shit wasn't even intentional. Even if they wanted to change their minds 'bout settin' me free, they couldn't have. They did what they had to do. I'm a bastard. I fuckin' deserved it. C'mere." He said, grabbing the back of his little brother's neck with his good hand and pulling him close.

Midst embrace, Daryl asked, "You been usin'?" He couldn't remember the last time he was even high fived by his older brother, let alone hugged.

Merle snickered. "Clean for a while now. Ain't by choice, but I reckon it's a start. Does it sound like I'm fuckin' high? I just preached about a group tryna do good things for the world and shit. And I'm all cuddly with yer dumbass."

Still hesitant to give away their new residence so quickly, Daryl inquired about his brother first. "Where you been this whole time?"

Merle took a few steps toward the base of the mountain and sat down next to Lorena on a nearby log.

"Here and there," he began. "Fuckin' truck ran out of fuel quicker than I expected so I've been movin' around by foot past few weeks. Stayed in abandoned sheds and shit. A lot of farm land around here, wherever the hell this is. You know how hard it is to fight those son'bitches with one hand? Surprised I ain't dead yet."

Daryl laughed and added, "And with that shitty aim, you must be starvin'. C'mon, let's hunt."

Lorena scooped an arm under Merle's and rested her head on his shoulder. The absence of walkers was consistent at this point in the woods and Lorena decided this would be a good time to let her boys catch up.

She knew Daryl was struggling in the trust department and she wanted to tear herself away from him in order for him to focus on Merle and getting a feel of the situation of bringing him back. With that, she stood up and said, "Hey, you guys go ahead. I feel like exploring. Well, silently roaming at least."

She saw this one coming. Daryl stepped towards her angrily. "I told you I was never lettin' you out of my sight again and I meant it. You crazy? This isn't the environment to 'roam' in!"

Merle was about to plead her case for her when she put a hand up. Merle stood up and began to head towards the woods further, stopping behind Daryl.

Lorena continued. "You're talking to the same person who survived on her own for months without significant resources or an accessible farm a few miles away. Now I have both. Could you give me some credit for that? Besides the fact, I was either gonna stay in this vicinity or head back to Hershel's anyway."

Merle flashed her a thumbs up from behind Daryl and she quickly raised both eyebrows, giving him a look that advised him not to butt in.

It was just like old times. Lorena and Daryl would have a minor disagreement and Merle would silently congratulate her for sticking up for herself – something Daryl's previous lovers never did.

Daryl grunted in frustration. "You go right back to the farm. You hear me? None of this explorin' the woods shit. You ain't got Dixon blood."

Lorena smiled as she approached him, gently placing her hands on his chest. "You may be right about that. It's your last name I want, not your blood."

He planted a quick, but worry filled kiss on her forehead and pointed a finger at her nose. "I ain't kiddin'. Straight to the farm. We won't be long. I got a date with Sophia anyway," he smirked.

Lorena turned on her heel and flashed two fingers at the Dixon brothers. "Scout's honor. See you soon."

Daryl looked over his shoulder and gave his woman a last glance before heading out with Merle.

* * *

Lorena already began to feel guilty as she casually strolled, kicking leaves around her. She wasn't lying when she promised she was going right back to the farm, but she decided on taking a different route. Not to go against Daryl, but just for a quick change of scenery.

The world was over, but with no walkers in sight, the world was beautiful.

Ironically, she found herself enjoying her surroundings more now than she ever did. Living in the city tends to take the beauty out of the simple things, things that are overlooked easily.

She admired the way the trees delicately swayed and how the powerful Georgia sun beamed down, enhancing everything she looked at.

She was so lost in her admiration for nature that she didn't notice the gaping dip until she was already descending into it.


	8. Chapter 8

**I went through a favorite/story alert drought so I figured I'd just get this chapter out for the people that already have the story added. From here on out I'll try to drag it out longer to make it a little more realistic (if I haven't already).**

**I also realized the story wouldn't be as exciting anymore after I reunited the happy couple, so I decided to throw the bitch in a ditch. Hope it adds some kind of excitement to the story 'cause I'm beginning to struggle with it again.**

**Please review so I can have motivation!**

**Chapter 8**

Daryl and Merle's hunt was not as successful as planned, considering Daryl's focus was a little out of bounds due to his growing happiness to have his brother back. He hated and embraced the feeling at the same time. He had just been reunited with his fiancé the night before and miraculously (and accidentally) found his brother the next day. He was beginning to feel worthy and deserving of things that were still good in this world.

The majority of the hunt consisted of story exchanging, a lot of redneck wisdom, and vague bonding. Merle was so caught up in the idea of acting like a normal human being towards his brother that he didn't even realize he hadn't checked with Daryl what the arrangements would be regarding the residence situation.

Merle noticed the sun beginning to set and snapped out of his Southern Brady Bunch bonding session. "Shit. So what're we gonna do about settin' up camp?" The protector in Daryl wanted to keep him away from the group, but the brother in him wanted to give Merle a real shot at being part of a team. With good judgment like his, he doubted Merle would throw a curveball at him anyway. "Yer comin' with me. Been stayin' at a farm," Daryl said, leading the way.

After a few quiet minutes, he stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Merle abruptly.

"My fuckin' crossbow. God damn it!" he shouted as he began to walk in the opposite direction.

"I'll go get it. Not too familiar with this part of the woods but I got it. Gotta take a shit anyway," Merle responded. "What? Now? It can't wait?" Daryl complained, growing annoyed with the idea of having to be a sitting duck until Merle came back. Merle started off into the woods before saying, "I like bein' one with nature, that a problem, princess?"

Daryl was a man of very little patience and two minutes had already felt like two hours to him. He wanted to get back to his woman and get himself to bed and prepare himself for the make-up time with Sophia he would promise her the next morning. He kept pacing and keeping watch, for both walkers and his very slow-paced brother.

* * *

After finally retrieving Daryl's crossbow and hanging it off his shoulder, Merle searched for a designated area to tend to his needs. He headed over to a small corner and made it a point to make it fast, considering the sun was down at this point and he wasn't going to risk anything by messing around.

He went to step over the small area when his foot completely gave way and he lost his balance.

He landed on his back but was able to quickly shift his weight back to higher ground with his upper body strength. "The fuck?" he mumbled to himself, steadying back to his feet. He grabbed a small flashlight from his pocket and aimed it downward, looking in the direction of the pit out of sheer curiosity. He was completely unprepared for the sight below him.

There was Lorena, completely sprawled out in the pit with nothing but rocks and blood surrounding her.

It was clearly evident she lost her balance like Merle did, but took the fall as well. The drop was pretty drastic; Merle would guess about 30 feet. He stood there in paralysis. He tried to keep a level head in order to formulate a quick plan to get down to the pit. Whether or not Lorena was already dead, he needed to get her out of there.

He quickly realized that the drop wasn't as steep around the opposite side of where he stood and began to run towards the other side of it. He would have a much better chance of getting himself in and both of them out in no time. He did a short climb down and rushed to her side. Lorena's body was lifeless and by the amount of blood coming from her head, he could automatically tell it was the first thing to hit the ground when she fell.

He knew it was a long shot, but he tried talking to her anyway. "Lena, hey, you with me?" he calmly asked, checking her pulse and keeping his focus on her eyes to check for any type of movement. None, but she did have a slight pulse.

He quickly took off his shirt and tightly wrapped it around her head. It wouldn't do much, but it was better than completely letting her bleed out on the way back. He scooped both arms under her and slowly raised her off the ground, resting her body completely on his shoulder. He wasted no time and began to head to the same area he entered in. He carefully kept her body steady as he quickly climbed out of the pit. Back in woods level, he kept a hand behind her head and started to make a run for it.

* * *

"C'mon, asshole," Daryl mumbled. "Found your ass a few hours ago and you're already slowin' me down." Daryl was not only beginning to worry about Merle, he was beginning to worry about the idea of Lorena waiting up for him, terrified. Most importantly, he hated the idea of being away from her and already began to regret letting her go back alone. He also wasn't too pleased with unintentionally letting Sophia down and hoped she wasn't completely upset. He breathed a deep sigh when he realized he had to assemble a house meeting when he came back with the man every one dreaded.

He shifted his eyes ahead when he heard frantic movement, and froze when he saw his brother running towards him with his limp fiancé in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

**Didn't want to leave anyone hanging but it's pretty obvious this story died down so I need to figure out a plan to finish it and soon. When I have time, I'll sit down and try to finish it.**

**I don't want to just randomly wake up Lorena and have everyone join in a group hug and then the story ends because that's just lame.**

**So enjoy this chapter. I'll try to add more emotion if I have to. Suggestions are nice though since I'm obviously had a bad time with it!**

**Chapter 9**

"Is Daryl okay, Mom?" A concerned Sophia asked. Her maturing nature knew Daryl wouldn't just forget to take her for a crossbow lesson, and she was also well aware that Daryl was not a man of broken promises. "It's dark out now.."

"Don't worry honey," Carol reassured her. "He'll be back soon, and he'll be just fine, I promise," she continued, placing a motherly hand on Sophia's back. "Now c'mon, let's get you washed up and ready for bed. When you wake up, I promise, he'll be here."

Sophia complied without argument and headed for the stairs.

* * *

Daryl wished a simple cut and bruise scenario was approaching him, but the frantic look on Merle's face confirmed the fact that Lorena was in serious trouble. "The fuck happened?—Merle—MERLE!" Daryl barked as Merle quickly brushed past him without slowing down his pace or providing an explanation.

After a few swift steps, Merle, realizing he had no idea where he was going, called out behind him, "Take me to this fuckin' farm. We can't afford to be stoppin' right now. Talk and walk. Let's go. Move!" Daryl rushed to get ahead of him. Merle continued, out of breath, "I found her like this. I don't even fuckin' know, man. She hit her head and that's all I fuckin' know right now."

"I'm such a fuckin' idiot! I knew I shouldn't have let her go off without us!" Daryl cried, full of frantic. He wasn't even paying attention to the direction he was headed in. He quickly came to his senses and realized two key ideas. One, it was already pretty much pitch black out, and being outdoors at night in this world was a step to an early grave. Two, any stop would push back whatever recovery Lorena needed at this point and getting lost due to emotion wasn't an option. He needed to get her back safely – that's all that mattered to him.

Daryl picked up the pace and took the lead. Merle quickly followed suit, making sure to keep a firm hold on Lorena's head.

A few generous minutes later, they arrived at the farm. No longer giving any regard to the time of night, Daryl shouted, "HERSHEL! GET HERSHEL, NOW!" Andrea, who had watch for the night, instantly spotted them and she didn't know whether or not to react more for the fact Lorena was injured or the fact Merle Dixon was the one holding her. "What happened to her—Merle? What the hell, holy shit," Andrea frantically blurted out at once as she began to climb down the RV to get Hershel, who was recently seen at the stables. When they approached him, "Oh my word..." was all Hershel could say. He grew very fond of Lorena and hated to see this happen to her. However, he needed no explanation. He saw more injuries and mishaps occur within this group in a week's span than he did in his prior life in a month.

"Follow me and feel free to introduce yourself in the process," Hershel announced to Merle, offering his assistance but keeping his inner protective barrier as well.

As Merle and Daryl followed Hershel upstairs, Merle attempted an introduction, though his name was an introduction on its own. "I'm Daryl's brother. Name's Merle. Sure there's been plenty of talk about me since I've been gone," he began, and Hershel put a hand up. "Say no more, Merle," he responded, opening the door to the guest room. "I need you to place her on the bed and keep that compress firm on her head. I'll be back with supplies in a second and from there, I can start working on her."

Merle nodded in agreement and set Lorena down on the bed, taking a step back so Daryl could have a moment with her. Merle took note of the fact his brother was growing more uneasy by the second and his silence alone was a determination that he was in a state of shock.

Daryl hesitantly stepped forward, unprepared to face her. He hated to admit it to himself, but she looked dead already. If it wasn't for the slow rise and fall of her chest, he would have mistook her for a walker. Her beautiful olive complexion was faded into a light shade of blue. He didn't even want to imagine the amount of blood she lost so far. He started chewing on the inside of his cheek, fighting back tears. He may have shown vulnerability in the past few days, but he felt a sense of reluctance around Merle more now than ever. He raised his hand to her cheek and stroked it gently as Hershel swiftly entered the room with what seemed like enough supplies to fix two people. He began to hook Lorena up to an IV and started sterilizing the stitching equipment for her head wound.

Daryl's apprehension level skyrocketed when he noticed all the tools and supplies.

At the risk of sounding ignorant, Daryl blurted, "Don't ya just gotta cauterize her wound and keep her hydrated? I mean what the fuck else is wrong with her?"

"If she doesn't show sign of movement by tomorrow afternoon, it's a safe assumption that she already fell into a coma. Her heart rate is already significantly slow and I have no formal way of monitoring it. If she falls into a coma, her heart rate will slow even more. Any more than this and we'll have to keep this on hand in case we need to revive her. Hence this," he pointed out, holding up a portable defibrillator.

Daryl felt his heart sink as he listened to Hershel explain the necessary precautions. Unable to respond, he nodded in agreement with Hershel, allowing him to continue working on her head wound.

Merle was in a state of shock on his own. He hadn't even been able to enjoy his reunion with Lorena and he had a chance of losing her all over again – for good this time. He knew he had to hang tough for his little brother, who was unmistakably falling apart at the seams. He took Daryl by surprise as he placed a hesitant but reassuring hand on his back. "You and I both know damn well she ain't givin' up." Daryl gave a spaced out nod as he felt the burning in his eyes commence.


End file.
